5 ft. Alligator Wanders into Iberia Parish Home Through Dog Door (VIDEO)

IBERIA PARISH, La. (KPEL News) - You know it's hot outside when even the alligators are trying to come in and catch a bit of your air conditioning.

That's the type of home invasion one Iberia Parish family had to deal with on Saturday when they looked up to see a five-foot alligator in their house on John Darnell Road.

According to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office, the family was alerted to the presence of the gator by their dog.

On Saturday, June 24th at approximately 1:30 a.m., Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a resident on John Darnell Road regarding a 5 foot alligator in their home.  The alligator enter through the doggy door and the home owners were alerted by their dog.  With assistance from Wildlife and Fisheries the alligator was captured and relocated. 

Louisiana residents are, of course, no strangers to the danger when it comes to alligators on our properties. There have been several high-profile events recently featuring citizens surprised by the sudden appearance of the large reptile in public.

Officials had to carefully remove the visitor from the Iberia Parish home.

Louisiana and Florida have the largest alligator populations, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

"There are more than one million wild alligators in each state," their website says. "Although alligators can be found in ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, swamps, and bayous in Louisiana, they are most common in our coastal marshes. Of the almost 4.5 million acres of alligator habitat available in Louisiana, coastal marshes account for more than 3 million"